Where the Heart Is
by Augustine Hox
Summary: Hinata is torn between two countries and two men. It's a long confusing series of unfortunate events that disrupts Naruto and Hinata's relationship. NaruHina. Bad summary, okay story. It's NaruHina with some GaaHina. Somewhat AU
1. Chapter 1

So yeah, I know I usually write about Digimon, but I'm going to try one Naruto story. So yeah, enjoy, but don't worry I just have writer's block for my other stories, they will be updated.

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><p>She cried. That was all she could do. Everything she had ever hoped for and wanted and desired had fallen through. What could she do?<p>

Hinata walked by the quiet Konoha streets with a bundle of flowers in her hands. The Great Shinobi War had ended, and Naruto was greatly hurt. Hinata wanted to be the first to see him, to comfort him, and most importantly, find out if he loved her back.

There it was. The Konoha Hospital, where Naruto was rehabilitating, was in front of her. She walked in quietly, heart beating and hands shaky. What had happened? She was supposed to be much more confidant now. She was a veteran and a war hero, why should she be frightened.

"Oh yeah," she thought, "b-b-because this is the only th-th-thing I'm n-n-not really s-s-sure about."

She had no doubt she and her friends would win the war, but Naruto, that was a different story. How could she know how he felt. He was a clueless baboon when it came to affairs of the heart.

She stood outside Naruto's room, breathing heavily.

"I c-c-can't do this…" she thought to herself, "I'm just not brave enough."

Suddenly her fist clenched around the flowers. She thought about when she confessed her feelings to Naruto. That fateful day where she put everything at risk for the man she loved. Pain was the most difficult and deadly villain she had ever faced.

"I was enough to help Naruto defeat him," she thought. "I can do this. He does care for me."

She thought back to the time when Naruto cheered her on at the chunnin exams or when she offered to help him cheat during the written test.

"I can do this!" she thought, "I can! I can! I'm not the same girl I used to be, I'm different. I'm worth something!"

She creaked open the door. At that moment, she wanted to die. Upon the hospital bed was Naruto, beat up and bandaged from the war, but Hinata could not see his face, for there was something covering it. In front of Naruto's face was a mass of rosette hair that could only belong to Sakura. Naruto and Sakura were locking lips before Hinata.

Hinata's pale, white eyes widened at this scene. The door was not fully opened, nor could the two see Hinata at all. In Sakura and Naruto's minds, they were all alone together. In Hinata's mind, she was all alone, and her dreams were crushed. Wider and wider her eyes grew until a small trickle of tears ran down to her chin. She dropped the flowers and ran.

Back at the Hyuga family complex, Hinata was lost for words. One thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Suicide, running away, and murder were just some examples of her brainstorming. Then, she lowered her head. None of these things were her style. Suddenly, she cringed. She knew her style. She would actually have to be happy for them! That was something she could not do. She could no longer talk to Sakura. It was sad, for they were actually good friend. But even though she liked Sakura, she loved Naruto and Sakura had stolen her man.

Another factor to her heartbreak was the Hyuga clan restructuring. Her father, Hiashi, seeing Neji as the best possible successor to the Hyuga clan leadership, considered making him the heir to the clan leadership. Hinata was not opposed to this, for she had been dismissed as successor long ago, but the clan was breaking apart between the pro-Neji restructurists and the pro-Hanabi traditionalists. Hinata loved her little sister, but no one matched Neji as clan leader. But that was not the worst part. Since her childhood, Hinata saw no connection with her clan. The Hyugas always hated her until recently. Ever since she was a young teenager, she had hoped to leave the Hyuga clan and "help" Naruto rebuild a new Uzumaki clan. Now none of that mattered. She knew Sakura would become the "Lady Uzumaki" and she detested it. What would she do now? Live as an old maid in this clan?

There was only one person Hinata knew who could help her. She started off in the dark streets and approached a well-to-do house in the northwest quarter of the city. It was Kurenai Yuhi's home. She knocked on the door and Kurenai answered the door.

"Hinata!" Kurenai exclaimed.

Hinata began sobbing and threw her arms around her sensei. Hinata told her everything that had happened, about her love of Naruto, about the confession, and about what she had saw at the hospital.

"Hinata," said Kurenai quietly, "Hinata, why not find someone else?"

"W-w-what?"

"Hinata, you're a young, beautiful, kind girl. You don't need to be crying because some guy doesn't love you, no it isn't even that. You don't need to be crying because he loves someone else."

"Oh."

"What about Kiba or Shino. They were nice guys who were always there for you."

"Yeah."

"Besides Hinata, your kekkai genkai and your riches are other pull factors. You could have any guy you want."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Just think about what I told you."

"I will," said Hinata quietly. She then quietly stood up and left. Not even her own sensei could understand. Hinata needed to find help elsewhere.

"S-s-so guys," Hinata told Kiba and Shino at their usual training grounds, "that's w-w-why I'm leaving."

"But Hinata!" exclaimed Kiba, "why would you do this just because of Naruto!"

"Please Kiba," said Hinata, "let's not talk about him."

"Please Hinata," said Kiba, "stay here with us. Help us rebuild Konoha."

"Don't s-s-say that Kiba," replied Hinata, "I'm just going to Suna for a little while. It won't be that long. Besides, Lady Tsunade says we need Konoha representatives in Suna in order to secure…"

"Don't use terminology with me, Hinata!" shouted Kiba.

Hinata trembled back. Kiba turned to Shino.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Shino looked at Hinata and blinked. "She has to do what she has to do."

Kiba's head shifted over to Hinata with his mouth wide open. Sure, it was true that Kiba once had a crush on Hinata, but now, all he felt was a fear of losing a friend. Team 8 was the only team with all its members. Team 10 lost Asuma and Team 7 lost Sasuke. Kiba didn't want to know what it felt like to lose someone. He wanted to make sure that his team would be secure.

"I don't know why you're so scared, Kiba," Hinata smiled, "it'll just be like another mission. Don't worry, I'll be back."

Kiba nodded quietly. "OK…I just…we're the only complete team."

"I know Kiba," Hinata replied, "I know."

Hinata was all packed up and ready to go. She stood at the village gate with all her belongings for her long trip. She took a deep breath, reminiscing of all the things of which she would soon give up. She was going to give up her family that had recently accepted her, her friends who were always there for her, and her village, which she had just recently almost sacrificed her life to protect. There was just one thing that weighed down on her heart. She took one step toward the gate, but…she couldn't do it. There was one person she needed to talk to before she left. Just one person she needed to see. So she ran off into the darkness, to find that one last person.

Naruto and Sakura walked to Sakura's house, hand in hand. Upon arriving to the front door, the two of them shared a long kiss.

Naruto smiled. "I can't believe we're actually together."

Sakura smiled back. "I know. I can't believe it either."

Naruto put his hand to Sakura's face. "It's like a dream come true. I almost can't comprehend it."

"Wow Naruto," laughed Sakura, "you're vocabulary is growing!"

Naruto laughed back and kissed her once more goodbye, then he headed off into the dark. Sakura smiled at her boyfriend, and then she opened her own door. There, her mother was sitting on the sofa with…

Sakura's mouth dropped when she saw her mother and Hinata of all people.

"Sakura!" called Mrs. Haruno. "You're friend's here."

Sakura walked uncomfortably over to Hinata.

"Hi Sakura," said Hinata quietly.

"Hi," replied Sakura awkwardly. "Mom, we're going up to my room."

Sakura and Hinata went up to Sakura's room. Hinata took a seat on Sakura's desk and Sakura sat on her bed.

"So Hinata," began Sakura, "is there something you wanted."

"Yes Sakura," replied Hinata. Hinata took a long sigh. "Sakura, I'm planning on going to Sunagakure to help in their reconstruction."

"Oh yeah?" asked Sakura, "what brought that on?"

Hinata began to tremble. "Sakura…do you love Naruto?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She was not ready for this question, but she had to answer honestly.

"No."

Hinata head almost snapped when she turned to Sakura. Her now broken heart was not mixed with anger and confusion. "No?" she thought. "What does she mean?"

Hinata stared at Sakura for a moment. "No? What do you mean? I saw you kissing Naruto in the hospital!"

Sakura was aghast. "You saw that?"

"Yes! Now what do you mean that you don't love Naruto! Why did you kiss him?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Look Hinata, I know you love Naruto…"

"Then why did you kiss him!"

"Listen to me Hinata!" exclaimed Sakura, "I kissed Naruto because…well because of the war."

"I don't understand."

"Naruto basically won us the war."

"I know."

"Look Hinata, Naruto basically saved our village and the entire world and he pretty much deserves anything he wants."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…"

"It's just the best thing to do."

"But Naruto would never be with you if he knew this!"

"Hinata…" said Sakura, "Naruto is a man like any other, he's going to take what he can get. He's always been in love with me, I have to help some of his dreams come true."

Hinata started to tear up. Sure she wanted Naruto to be happy, but lying to him? Would that really make him happy? And worst of all, Naruto would give anything to be with Sakura, and Sakura doesn't even really love him!

Sakura looked at Hinata sadly. "I'm sorry Hinata, I know this is really hard for you to hear."

"But I really love him! I really love him, Sakura! I've wanted him ever since I first saw him at the Academy!"

Now Sakura was tearing up. She thought about her's (and the rest of the girl's) fickle crush on Sasuke, but that was nothing compared to Hinata's devotion to Naruto.

Hinata now had tears all over her face.

"Hinata…"

It was too late though. Hinata had gotten up and run out of Sakura's house. Sakura attempted to chase after her, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Something told her that she was only making things worse.

Hinata ran down the dark streets of Konoha. Her head was down and she did not see where she was going, but the melancholy streets were familiar to her, so she could navigate well. Suddenly she bumped into someone. She looked up and gasped silently when she saw it was Naruto.

Naruto looked around to her. "Oh hey Hinata."

Hinata just looked away and kept running.

"Hinata!" called Naruto, "what's going on?"

Upon reaching the village gate, she fled, not even looking back. Quickly, she ran across the Fire countryside toward the Wind country. It would be a long, grueling journey, but she knew that nothing could be worse than what she had experienced the last few days. Nothing could compare to her pain. Nothing.

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><p>So if you liked it, comment, because if no one comments, then, well, no updates.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

So, I was hoping to get a bunch of comments, but I already had this chapter ready. So enjoy.

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><p>Naruto and Sakura walked together along the river that ran through Konoha. Naruto loved the time they were spending together. It felt surreal to him, as if all his dreams were, in fact, coming true. He didn't know how to explain it, but for the first time in a long time, he was truly happy. Of course, ever since he saw Hinata run away from him, he was a little anxious. It wasn't so much that Hinata had ignored him as much as it was her running. Naruto was a little afraid of another villain that was threatening the village. He promised Nagato peace, and he intended to keep his promise. That was his nindo after all.<p>

"Hey Sakura," said Naruto, touching the water.

"Yes Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"Is there something up with Hinata?"

Sakura clenched. Did he know? Had Hinata told Naruto the truth? She gulped before asking, "What do you mean?"

Naruto explained that Hinata had run from him the other night and that was bothering him.

"There isn't another enemy attacking the village, is there?"

Sakura breathed softly. "No, there's nothing. Don't worry."

Naruto and Sakura continued their walk. After a couple minutes, Naruto found himself far in front of Sakura. He looked back to see Sakura struggling around the river bed.

"Something wrong, Sakura?"

"I hate the woods!"

Naruto stood still for a while. He didn't know how to respond to Sakura's statement. He knew Sakura was joking, but the fact that she hated the woods hurt him. He knew that Sakura spent most of her time in the village, working in the family store as a little academy student. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't have such an easy childhood. He spent most of his time in the woods, away from the other people who hated him. To him, the woods were a second home, to Sakura, it was a difficulty.

"Oh," said Naruto quietly, "here, let me help."

"Welcome to Suna!" said a sand ninja before a large group of foreigners. Among them, Hinata stood, still heartbroken over her talk with Sakura.

"Here you have decided to work to rebuild our village. It will be difficult, hard, grueling…"

"Oh shut up!" shouted another Suna ninja walking out from a building.

It was Kankuro, except much older and much more mature after the war. "Look everyone," began the brother of the Kazekage. "You're here to help us rebuild some buildings and secure some walls, okay?"

The foreign ninja laughed at the Suna elder's dominance over a ninja twice his age. After all the workers had left, Hinata quietly approached Kankuro. Recognizing her, Kankuro bowed politely.

"Hello Lady Hyuga," said Kankuro, "are you here to help us too?"

Hinata nodded her head. "I'm sorry Lord Kankuro," she said quietly, "but I don't really have any physical strength to physically help rebuild walls or buildings."

"Oh," said Kankuro looking around. "Well, I don't know what you can do here? Do you want to go home?"

"No!" exclaimed Hinata. "I mean, I really wanted to help."

"Um, ok well."

"I have something for her to do," called a feminine voice. Temari walked over from the top of one of the buildings. She motioned over to Hinata who followed her.

Gaara sat at his desk working. Running a post-war village was not easy work, but if anyone could do it, it was him. As he worked diligently, Temari and Hinata walked into his office.

"Oh hello, Temari," said Gaara, "and, oh my, a friend of Narutos!"

Hinata bit her lip at Naruto's name, but she kept on smiling before her new host.

"Lord Kazekage," said Temari, "I thought Hinata could work as your secretary.

Gaara looked at Hinata who blushed slightly. Gaara smiled and nodded.

"Alright," he said, "that would be good."

After Temari had left, Gaara motioned for Hinata to sit at a desk near the door. There she began to organize some papers.

Back in Konoha, Sakura and Naruto had dinner. And of course, they were at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Naruto was happily eating away and Sakura giggled as she saw him gobble down his food. She should have been used to it, but it was still funny to her. She didn't understand how anyone could eat so much. Suddenly, Sakura felt an odd presence beside her. She looked beside her to see a guy giving her awkward glances. Sakura smiled at him and batted her eyelashes. The other guy continued to smiling and Sakura brushed her fingers through her hair.

"Excuse me Naruto," said Sakura, "I'll be back soon."

Naruto looked up to her. "Oh, can I have your ramen?"

Sakura laughed. "Of course."

Sakura walked away from the ramen stand and the guy sitting next to her followed soon after.

Naruto finished his ramen happily and attempted to pay, but Teuchi would not take his money. Despite the good fortune that was just displayed upon him, Naruto could not feel truly happy. Sakura had not yet returned and Naruto was getting worried.

He began walking around the village square and looking for Sakura, but he couldn't find her. He was now very worried. Naruto was very close minded and he expected his nindo to be everyone's nindo, and if Sakura could not keep her word, then something must be very, very wrong. He had to find her, and if necessary, save her. As Naruto ran across the Konoha streets to the Haruno residence, the sun began to set behind the far away, western mountains.

Beyond those mountains, the sun had already set in Suna and Gaara was getting ready to leave his office.

"Lord Kazekage," said Hinata quietly.

Gaara smiled at Hinata. "Just Gaara is fine, if you're going to be working for me, I don't want to trouble you with 'Lord Kazekage' every day."

Hinata nodded. "Gaara, is there anything else you want me to do?"

"No, nothing," said Gaara. "I'll just see you at the party tonight."

"The party?" questioned Hinata.

"Didn't they tell you?" remarked Gaara, "Kankuro and Temari are throwing a party."

Hinata shook her head. "No, they didn't tell me. I'm actually not feeling well."

"Are you sure?" asked Gaara. "Please Hinata…" Gaara took Hinata's hand in the way most adults take little girl's hands. "I would be honored if you'd come as my guest."

Hinata blushed bright red. "Oh, well if you really want me to go…"

Gaara smiled. "I'll come pick you up at your guest quarters, alright?"

Hinata nodded. "Alright."

About three hours later, Hinata was all dressed up in a kimono and had finished her hair. She hoped she was dressed correctly, but she hoped to get by, by stating that she was a foreigner. She had no idea how Gaara would dress, and she hoped that they would not clash. She shook her head out of the thought. She wasn't supposed to be Gaara's date, just his guest. She sat down on a chair and looked around her room. She couldn't believe it was stable. It was a sand-like room, but the material was hard and strong. She had never seen sand able to do anything like that before. She was not familiar with Suna, nor was she a big fan. She only came here because it was the only village that offered some kind of program that imported workers. After a few minutes she heard a knock at her door. She walked over and opened it to find Gaara in his full Kazekage regalia. She should have known.

"Are you ready, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and Gaara offered his arm. Hinata clasped his arm and the two walked off into the streets. The two eventually walked into a large banquet hall. Upon a raised platform was six seats, two of which were occupied by Kankuro and Temari. Another seat was occupied by Kankuro's girlfriend and another seat was occupied by Temari's guest.

"Come, Hinata," said Gaara smiling, "sit with me."

Hinata gasped. "You mean up there! In front of everyone?"

"Of course!" laughed Gaara. "Come on."

When everyone was seated and the entire banquet hall was filled, Hinata looked around. Thankfully, she was not the only one dressed in the Konoha fashion. The banquet hall was filled with people in all types of clothing from all villages across the world.

When everyone was settled, Kankuro stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "We are here to commemorate the birthday of my dear brother, and our dear Kazekage, Gaara!"

Hinata gasped. She didn't know it was Gaara's birthday. She turned suddenly to see a look of embarrassment and pride on Gaara's face. He was both happy and abashed. It was a strange combination, but it seemed to play perfectly to Gaara's persona.

Kankuro later gave a long speech about Gaara's life and heroism and eventually dinner was served. While dinner was being eaten, Hinata turned over to Gaara.

"Gaara! I didn't know it was your birthday!"

Gaara laughed. "Yeah, it is."

"Happy Birthday! I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."

Gaara laughed again. "I didn't expect anything. I didn't even know about this party until this morning."

"But you must have assumed somebody was going to do something for you birthday!"

Gaara looked down into his food. "I taught myself to never expect anything. It's the best way to avoid disappointment."

Hinata looked down sadly into her own food. When he saw her sad, Gaara patted her on the back.

"But what am I worrying about that for? My siblings did give me a party!"

Hinata smiled at Gaara.

After dinner, everyone started dancing. Many girls showed interest in dancing with Gaara, but he shied away. Hinata too, had no interest in dancing with some of the Suna ninjas. It wasn't anything in particular in these guys. It was simply that she was embarrassed. After a couple of songs, Gaara walked over to Hinata.

"Why aren't you dancing?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she responded. "I'm just not that good a dancer."

Gaara looked down at the floor. "Me neither."

There was a moment of silence between the two, then Gaara turned his head over to Hinata.

"But, since we're both not that good, well, maybe it wouldn't look so bad if we danced together."

Hinata's eyes widened at Gaara's proposal. She thought about it for a moment. She had made it a point that she would not dance with anyone that night. Gaara then took Hinata's hand.

"What do you say?" Gaara asked.

Hinata made an exception that night. She and Gaara danced until the party was over. She held Gaara's hand when they walked back to her apartment and she even gave him a kiss on his cheek before she went into her apartment and he went back to his quarters.

Naruto looked and looked for Sakura, but she was nowhere to be found. He looked at her house and at all their friend's house. He eventually found himself sitting in the middle of the village square when he saw the rosette walk by him. After taking a double take, Naruto ran over to his girlfriend.

Their argument lasted a couple of minutes and ended with a series of apologies from Sakura. Eventually the two hugged and Naruto walked Sakura back to her house. Sakura was instantly forgiven and the eight hours of Naruto's worries were as if they never happened.

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><p>Hope you liked it. If you didn't, well, sorry for wasting your time.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

So, after reviewing my work, I realized that a majority of my character's personalities are really...off. Sorry. Just try to enjoy the plot, I guess.

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><p>Naruto sat thinking in his bedroom. He knew that he had forgotten something very important that had happened.<p>

Of course, what he was thinking was Hinata's confession, but Naruto had since forgotten it. To be fair to the jinchuriki, we have to realize that during the confession, he was in great pain, fighting the most difficult enemy he had ever faced. Later, was the Fourth World War, which put more stress on him. Therefore, Naruto had no time to worry about his personal life in the past few months. Something really important had happened to him that he had to remember, but he was still contemplating what it was. Every time he got close to remembering, thoughts of Sakura blocked his thinking processes.

Naruto eventually shrugged it off.

"It's going to come to me sooner or later," he thought to himself.

Hinata walked behind the Suna convoy. Gaara had an important meeting with the Tsuchikage in the Earth Country. Hinata looked around at the Suna ninjas she was walking with. She was the only Konoha ninja there and she was a little uncomfortable. The only people she knew were Gaara and Temari, and Gaara was hidden in a special covered platform and Temari was far ahead.

Hinata looked around at the country around her. At first she had seen nothing but a desolate desert for miles, but the Earth Country was much worse. The rocks were randomly placed and there was nothing to see except spooky looking rock after spooky looking rock.

Hinata missed her home back in the Fire Country, back in Konoha. Back in Konoha, the roads were lined with trees and a gentle river ran through the heart of the village. She loved walking through the woods of the calm Fire Country. She missed the beautiful singing of the birds which were now replaces by a whistling wind that spooked the heck out of her.

As the trail moved on, Hinata began to see the buildings of Iwa. It was not a pleasant site for her. The ground was dark with the shadow of tall cliffs and the buildings were made to look like the devious rocks that surrounded her. Around the perimeter, Hinata could see hundreds of Iwa ninja with her Byakugan.

The large gates of Iwa opened before the convoy and all of the members walked in. As soon as Hinata had entered, the gates slammed behind her.

Back in Konoha, Naruto was again walking aimlessly around the streets. He was looking for Sakura again. He did that a lot lately, but he didn't mind. Just having someone to look for made him happy, if not worried. Again and again Naruto wandered around his beloved village. It didn't matter how many times he saw it, he would love it. Naruto eventually found himself on the tallest building in the village. He looked around to see if he could find Sakura, but again, she was nowhere to be found.

"Hello Naruto," said a voice from behind him.

Naruto turned around quickly to find Sai sitting on the building. Naruto smiled when he saw him.

"Hey Sai," he replied, "what's up?"

"I should be asking you that question," laughed Sai. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto stretched his arms. "Just looking for Sakura."

Sai looked down sadly upon the village scene. It had been a constant gossip around the Konoha ninjas (especially among the Konoha 11) that Sakura and Naruto's relationship was less than perfect. An equally juicy piece of gossip was that Naruto was clueless that his relationship was falling apart.

"So you're still with her?" asked Sai.

Naruto got angry when he heard Sai's tone. "Of course I'm still with her! Why wouldn't I be?"

Sai looked out into the village. "Naruto, maybe you should know this…"

"Know what?" shouted Naruto.

Sai put his head down. "Naruto, Sakura doesn't love you…"

Naruto bit his lip. He bit his lip so hard that blood came out. After his blood came out, he kept grinding his lip with his teeth. Then, Naruto could not hold in his anger. He punched Sai straight in the head. Sai could have easily dodged, but that didn't seem right.

"How dare you say that!" shouted the orange ninja. "How dare you say anything like that!"

Sai looked up to Naruto. "It's the truth, Naruto, you have to accept it."

"No!" shouted Naruto, "you have to accept that I love Sakura and she loves me! What's up with you Sai? Are you in love with Sakura?"

Sai shook his head.

"Then why don't you think of me for once! Sakura loves me, she tells me all the time! Why would she lie to me?"

Sai looked down. "I don't know," he whispered.

"Then shut up!" shouted Naruto. After shouting, Naruto jumped off the building and landed on a smaller one. After that he ran off to look for Sakura.

Sai watched as Naruto ran. He felt bad that one of the few people that he felt was his family was being treated like this. Much worse, he felt bad that the one treating Naruto like that was another person who was dear to him.

The Suna convoy began to leave Iwa.

"I can't believe it!" ranted Temari. "Who has a thirty-minute conference then tells their guests to go home? It doesn't make sense."

Gaara laughed. "You know the Third Tsuchikage is an irritable man. He's very eccentric. You can't predict his movements."

"Still," commented Temari, "he could have at least let us stayed in the village."

Hinata walked slowly behind the group. She too was annoyed by the Tsuchikage's orders. The group then approached a series of canyons. As Hinata walked, her mind was clouded with thoughts of Naruto. She did not notice how weak the edge of the cliff was when she stepped on it. She didn't feel the break in the rock. In fact, she didn't feel anything different until she began to fall down the side of the mountain.

"This is it?" thought Hinata. "This is how I go?"

Farther and farther she fell. She looked around, seeing only rocks that littered the country.

"Might as well be."

Hinata hit the ground, only the ground wasn't hard. It was a very soft earth. After a few seconds with a blank mind, she looked down to find that the ground she lay on was a huge pillar of soft sand. She looked up to the cliff to see Gaara using his sand jutsu to save her. Gaara moved his arm and brought Hinata to the cliff. Gaara put his hands on her arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked, very worried.

Hinata was trembling all over. It was not so much the fall that scared her than it was Gaara's touch. It was so soft, like the sand she had fell on. She expected a rough and hard grip, but instead, what she experienced was an almost cooling touch.

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

Gaara looked over to his pallbearers. "Let her sit with me. She needs time to rest."

Gaara and Hinata sat together in his special carrier. Hinata looked around blankly. Gaara noticed her aloofness and looked to her.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

"Nothing Gaara."

"But you look so depressed."

"It's just…nothing."

"Please tell me."

"I…really don't feel like talking."

Gaara nodded his head. "Okay."

There was only one thing that bothered Hinata. It wasn't something as it was the loss of something. When Hinata fell, she didn't think of Naruto, or her family, or her friends. The only person she thought of was Gaara, and that frightened her. She was scared that all her feelings for Naruto were gone. She was scared that all her dreams would be replaced by new ones. But what scared her the most, more than anything else, was the fear that she was falling in love with someone else. That was unthinkable to her. It couldn't be. Yet it was. It was all true. Her feelings for Naruto were ephemeral. Her dreams were changing. And she was falling for someone else.

Naruto walked into a small tea shop in Konoha. He walked toward a table and ordered some tea. As he drank, he had a deep sadness and look of worry on his face. The waiter decided to ask him what was wrong.

"Oh, nothing, it's just…" Naruto looked into his tea. "Have you seen a girl? Very pretty. Rosette hair. Glowing green eyes."

The waiter stood and thought for a moment. "Does she wear a red dress?"

Naruto began nodding frantically. "Yeah! She does!"

The waiter looked into the wall. "Is her surname…Haruno?"

Naruto looked at the waiter's eyes intensely.

"Where is she!" exclaimed Naruto, "if you know where she is, tell me!"

The waiter pointed ahead. "She's over there."

Naruto spun around to find Sakura sitting alone at a table. He ran over to her excited.

"Sakura! Sakura!" he exclaimed.

"Naruto!" said Sakura, surprised.

"Where were you?" asked Naruto, "I've been looking for you all day. I thought you wanted to go out?"

"Oh sorry Naruto!" apologized Sakura, "I had a lot to do."

"Oh," said Naruto. "It's okay if you're busy, we didn't really set up any plans."

Naruto thought for a moment, and then he turned to Sakura. "There's something really important tomorrow, so let's set up plans extra early."

Sakura nodded. "Okay, tomorrow. I promise not to miss it."

Naruto smiled. "Okay, tomorrow at my house!"

Sakura smiled back. "I'll see you then."

Naruto and Sakura hugged and kissed and Naruto told her that he had to go. Sakura nodded happily and he left. After Naruto left, another guy walked from the back of the tea house and sat in front of Sakura.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, dear," said Sakura, "he's just some guy."

* * *

><p>And again, I have no hate for any of these characters. Naruto is my favorite anime of all time, I love all the characters, but some of the personalities had to be changed for the plot. Sorry.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

I really can't elaborate on this. I know it's not canon, but if you can enjoy it anyway, then...God bless you.

* * *

><p>Gaara looked at himself in a mirror one evening.<p>

"Come on, old boy, you can do it," he thought to himself.

"…No, I can't," he thought. "She's just so beautiful and I'm…I…just can't compare."

Ever since Hinata came to work in Suna, Gaara couldn't get her out of his mind. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and do things to her that I can't write because of the K+ rating, but Gaara's emotions were more than just lustful desires. Gaara was enchanted by her. She was a bright addition to his boring and dull life. In the couple of months that Hinata was working in his office, the two had long, emotional conversations. Surprisingly, despite the differences of their lives, they could relate a lot in life. They both had strained relationships with their families and that pretty much was the basis for a majority of their conversations.

On one event, after Gaara had told Hinata about how his uncle tried to kill him, she put her hand over his. Hinata looked Gaara in his eyes and told him that there was always someone who would love him. He didn't need to reminisce about people who hated him. All he had to do was look for the many people who did love him. That sealed the deal for Gaara. Suddenly, his heart opened up to Hinata. At that moment, he wanted Hinata to be with him forever. He wanted to talk with her forever and to see her calm smile until the sun of his life had set.

"She probably doesn't feel the same way," Gaara thought. Gaara began shaking. Why was it so hard to invite her to dinner? He had asked her to go to his birthday party with him easy. Now, everything had changed and he didn't know how to react to her. He began taking quick breathes.

"I have to try!" he told himself. "Just call her up and ask her to go to dinner with you."

Gaara took the phone and called Hinata.

"Hello? Hinata?"

"Yes," responded Hinata's voice. "Who is this?"

Gaara felt a feeling of calm at Hinata's voice.

"This is Gaara."

Gaara could almost feel Hinata smile at his name. "Hi Gaara."

"Umm…Hinata, I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Hinata began giggling on the phone. Gaara felt like his heart was about to break and the sound of Hinata's laughing. He wanted to hang up the phone and wish that he never called.

"I would love to have dinner with you Gaara!" said Hinata.

Gaara felt a feeling of relief on his heart. Soon, the relief turned to absolute euphoria.

"Great!" he exclaimed, "when do you want to go?"

"How about tonight?"

"Sure! Should I pick you up."

Hinata was silent for a while. "No, my apartment is really messy. How about I meet you there?"

"Okay," said Gaara, "how about eight o'clock, we'll go to the noodle restaurant in the northwest quarter?"

"That will be great, Gaara," replied Hinata, "I'll meet you there."

"Alright," he said.

"Bye," said Hinata sweetly.

"Bye," responded Gaara.

He looked into the mirror and smiled. He couldn't believe she said yes! Nothing could bring this day down for him. He was just to ecstatic.

Naruto set the table at his house back in Konoha. He was very excited about his and Sakura's date that night. He actually bought expensive china and silverware for the occasion. He set up everything. After washing up, he got ready for the evening by putting on formal clothing that he had to borrow from his friends in the upper society. He sat at the table to get ready for Sakura to arrive.

Gaara waited at a table in the restaurant.

"She's not going to show up," he thought to himself, "she just said yes to be nice."

His hand started shaking at the thoughts of him being all alone. He didn't know what to do if she didn't show up. One minute after the designated time, Gaara decided to leave. As soon as he stood up, Hinata entered the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gaara," she said quietly, "were you leaving?"

"No, no," said Gaara, a little embarrassed, "please sit down."

The two sat down and ordered.

Naruto waited and waited and waited. He didn't know what was taking Sakura so long. It was already nine o' clock and not so much as a word from his girlfriend.

Back in Suna, Gaara and Hinata's date was going on very well. They had finished their meal and were now walking around the village.

"So you grew up here all your life?" asked Hinata.

Gaara smiled. "Of course! What do you think of Suna?"

Hinata looked down onto the sands. "It's not that I don't like this village, it's just that…"

Gaara seemed very hurt. He loved his village and would do anything to protect it. Knowing that the woman he had feelings for didn't love his village as well seemed to crush his dreams.

"You don't think Suna is beautiful, do you?"

Hinata looked down. "I'm sorry Gaara."

The two were silent for a moment, then Gaara looked over to Hinata.

"Well," said Gaara, "looks like I'll have to show you."

Hinata looked at Gaara questioningly. "Show me what?"

Gaara grabbed Hinata's hand and the two began to run.

"The beauty of the desert."

Naruto's head was not dipped in the ramen he prepared. His body was subconsciously eating the ramen he had specially ordered from Ichiraku. The hours kept rolling by until daybreak hit. When he woke up Naruto looked around his apartment. Nowhere did he see any hint that Sakura was there the other night. A deep depression fell upon his heart as he looked out the window to see the sun rise.

Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Rock Lee were waiting for Naruto in front of the academy. Naruto walked up sadly.

"Hey Naruto," said Choji, "what's with the long face."

"Yes Naruto," said Lee, "you're attitude is quite not youthful."

Naruto just sighed, "Sakura didn't show up."

"Ouch," said Kiba.

"Oh, women, how troublesome," said Shikamaru.

"Hey Shikamaru," said Choji, "we could do without the sarcasm."

Naruto took a deep breath. "It's alright. So what did you guys have planned."

"Are you sure you want to go now?" asked Kiba.

"Yeah," laughed Naruto, "you guys took all this time planning, might as well enjoy."

The five of them walked on into the village. The date was October 11th. The date Sakura missed was Naruto's birthday party.

Hinata and Gaara walked together along the sandy roads of Suna.

"Come here," said Gaara, "I want you to see this."

"What is it Gaara?" asked Hinata.

Gaara let Hinata to an oasis on the outskirts of the village. Hinata sat by the gentle waters and saw her reflection. She put her finger in the oasis and made small waves in the water. After the water had calmed down she saw Gaara's reflection next to her.

"This is my favorite place, Hinata," said Gaara.

"It's lovely," said Hinata, "I like the grass that grows around the water."

Gaara smiled. "It's one of the things that remind me that life can exist, no, life can thrive even in the most God-forsaken places."

Hinata nodded her head.

"Hinata," whispered Gaara.

"Yes?" whispered Hinata back.

"When you're here, you are like a desert flower."

Hinata blushed. "Why do you say that?"

Gaara's heartbeats began to rise in tempo. He moved over to one of the trees and picked one of many flowers growing on the oasis. Gaara began to walk slowly to Hinata and placed the flower in her hair, creating a sharp contrast between the white lily and Hinata's black hair.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Gaara.

Now all of Hinata's face was red. She took Gaara's hand and looked him in the eyes. They stared at each other for quite a while, until Gaara began to move his head closer to Hinata's. Hinata was conflicted. She wanted to pull away, but she also wanted to feel Gaara's lips pressed on hers. She didn't know if she wanted Naruto or Gaara. Both were so different, but both were so appealing to her. She wanted them both so much, but she knew she could only have one.

Gaara and Hinata's lips met that day. The sun had barely risen and the light reflecting off the oasis shined on their faces. The reflecting light forced Gaara and Hinata's kiss to last a little longer than a regular kiss, but it only added to a magical effect amongst the two.

When the two broke their kiss, they just stared at each other. They had no idea what to do or where to go. Finally, Gaara came up with the best idea.

"We should get to work," he said.

Realizing it was a weekday, Hinata began nodding in her head in amused agreement.

Back in Konoha, Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Choji, and Shikamaru were eating at a street festival. Despite the attractive excitement of the festival, Naruto was still hurt.

"Come on, Naruto," said Choji, "just try to enjoy the day."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm sorry guys," he said, "my heart just isn't in this."

"Naruto," said Lee, "why are you so sad, I mean really, Sakura is still your girlfriend, she just missed one date, right."

Naruto started nodding his head. "Yeah! You're right. It's just one date, right?"

"But it's his birthday," said Shikamaru.

"Always the pessimist, aren't you?" commented Lee.

"Look," said Shikamaru, "I just think there are some things that people should pay more attention to."

"C'mon Shikamaru," said Choji, "we're just trying to help Naruto feel better."

Shikamaru sighed. "Arguing is such a drag."

"It's been like this for a while," said Naruto, "I just don't get it."

Kiba grunted. "Maybe she doesn't love you."

Naruto turned to Kiba angrily. "Shut up Kiba."

"Hey Naruto, why don't you shut up."

The two glared at each other for a while.

"Hey guys settle down," said Lee, "we're not here to fight, we're here to celebrate Naruto's birthday."

"Look Kiba," said Naruto, "shut up, Sakura does love me. She tells me that all the time."

Kiba grunted again. "Saying 'I love you' is not the same as actually meaning it."

Naruto was ready to rip Kiba's face off, but Choji and Lee help him back.

"C'mon Kiba," said Choji, "cool down."

Kiba grunted once more and began to walk away. Thoughts of Hinata leaving kept plaguing him. Few people knew it, but Kiba once had a crush on Hinata. The crush had floundered over time, but thoughts of Hinata still plagued him.

Naruto and the others continued walking down the street festival. They didn't know what to talk about or if they should even mention Kiba. All Naruto wanted to do was see Sakura again, but he didn't know where to go or if Sakura wanted to be found. All he knew was that he wasn't happy. He wasn't happy, he didn't feel like a hero, and he still couldn't remember what he was trying to remember.

Back in Suna, Gaara and Hinata couldn't stop giving glances to each other. It was a little awkward and a little cute. What they wanted most was to go have dinner after work. Actually, it wasn't even dinner they wanted, all they wanted was to be together.

One night, a month after their first date, Gaara and Hinata walked together down the sandy roads of Suna. Gaara's breathe became short. Hinata noticed this and grabbed his arm.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" she asked him.

Gaara's voice was a little shaky. "It's December, Hinata."

Hinata turned her head slightly. "And?"

"And? You're only supposed to stay in Suna for a year. You came here last January."

Hinata's mouth opened slightly. It was true. Tsunade's program was only supposed to last a year. She had not thought about going home in a while, but now that Gaara had mentioned it, she felt an urge to see Konoha again.

Gaara took Hinata's hand and looked into her pale eyes.

"I'm going to miss you," he said.

Hinata felt Gaara's warm hand. She was going to miss that very much.

"Gaara…" said Hinata quietly. She thought about everything for a minute. Ninjas lived out of village all the time, just look at Orochimaru…bad example…look at Tsunade. She lived out of the village for years and now she was Hokage. "…I think, I'll stay behind."

I can't write what Gaara said, for he really didn't say anything. Joy manifested itself in different ways in Gaara. His excitement could be felt by the entire village. Ever since his birth, Gaara was a person that no one could read. After the war, he had suddenly loosened up to the world, and now with Hinata with him, he had completely changed. Now, no longer could the villagers call him "cool" or "amazing", but that didn't matter to Gaara (or the village for that matter). At that moment, Gaara was truly happy, and every sand ninja was happy with him.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading. I actually want to rewrite this story, but, well, I should finish this version first.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto and Sakura sat on a bench in Konoha. Sakura tried to smile at Naruto, but he kept trying to dodge her glances. Neither of them had mentioned Sakura's missing Naruto's birthday party. Sakura had not even wished him a "happy birthday." That is what confused Naruto most of all. Everyone had been telling him that Sakura didn't love him, but he knew, even if she didn't have romantic feelings, Sakura would never fail to wish him a happy birthday, would she?

"What's wrong, baby?" asked Sakura.

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing."

"I know there's something wrong, Naruto, now tell me," said Sakura back.

"Sakura…"

Naruto spoke very quietly, scaring Sakura very much. Ever since he was young, Naruto had a loud, annoying, booming voice that revealed his existence to anyone in a one-mile radius. Sakura had never heard Naruto speak so softly before. He seemed like the weakest person in the world, which scared Sakura, because, like previously said, Naruto basically won the war singlehandedly.

"Sakura?" said Naruto softly.

"Yes?" asked Sakura, her voice shaking.

Naruto turned his head and looked straight into Sakura's green eyes. "Do you love me?"

Sakura's mouth dropped open while she looked into Naruto's face. How does anyone answer a question like that? Especially if they had been doing what she had been doing.

Sakura took a deep gulp. "Yes," she gulped.

Naruto looked skeptically at her. "Then why did you miss my birthday?"

For the first time in their farcical relationship, Sakura felt truly, absolutely bad. It was true that she did not love Naruto. It was true that she was seeing other people while they were supposed to be together. It was true that their entire relationship was as real as a relationship in one of Jiraiya's books. She did not have romantic feelings for Naruto, but Naruto was her friend. She did love Naruto, just not the same way he loved her. Naruto was her closest friend, teammate, and confidant. There was no way she would ever forget his birthday. At least, that is what she convinced herself.

She always thought she was a good person who cared about her friends. Now she felt really bad.

"I'm so sorry Naruto!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean to, I…I…"

"What Sakura?" asked Naruto, "tell me, what were you doing?"

Sakura had to think quickly. This was not the day she wanted Naruto to find out about her other relationships.

"You…you know about the Hyuga clan crisis," stammered Sakura, "right?"

Naruto blinked for a while. He heard something was up with the Hyuga clan, but he really didn't know what was going on.

"No," said Naruto, "tell me."

"Well," said Sakura, "the Hyuga clan needs to choose a new clan leader after Lord Hiashi dies."

"That's Hinata's little sister, Hanabi, right?"

Sakura shook her head. "Well, it should be, but Neji is contesting that."

Naruto breathed out. He knew that Neji was going to make his own fate, but a family feud was not what Naruto had in mind.

"So what were you doing?" asked Naruto.

"Tsunade had me and a couple of other Ninja secure the perimeter of the Hyuga complex, just in case some things got out of hand."

"And how did that lead to forgetting my birthday?"

"One of the Hyuga's got hurt, really bad. I had to use medical jutsu for fourteen hours straight."

"Really?" asked Naruto, "which one?"

Now Sakura had a problem. She didn't know how she was going to fake this one.

"Hinata."

"What!" exclaimed Naruto, "who attacked her?"

"I don't know Naruto," said Sakura, "I don't know."

Naruto was getting angry. He had not seen Hinata in almost a year now, but he figured she was safe in her complex.

"How dare anyone hurt her?" he said. "She never hurt anyone!"

"I can't believe it either," said Sakura.

"What happened to her?" asked Naruto.

"She's fine," said Sakura, "she's rehabilitating out of village in Suna."

"Oh," said Naruto, "that's good, Gaara will take good care of her."

"Yeah," said Sakura.

After calming down, Naruto looked at Sakura.

"Hey Sakura," said Naruto.

"Yes?"

"I want you to meet me somewhere important."

"Okay."

"Please show up this time," he said, "it's really, really important to me."

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes Naruto." This time, she intended to keep her promise. There was no way she could fail Naruto again. She couldn't.

Hinata sat quietly by the oasis. Like Gaara, this was her favorite place in Suna as well. She loved the gentle movements of the water and the shade of the two trees that grew around the oasis. She loved the gentle breezes that blew through her hair. She loved the grass that she would sit on. She loved the oasis, but not in the same way Gaara loved it. She loved the oasis because it reminded her of home. She wanted to see her home very much, but at the same time she didn't want to go home. She also wanted to stay in Suna. She hated the desert, but she had grown fond of the villagers.

The Suna ninja saw her as their queen. Gaara had never been in love before and the villagers began to think that Hinata was going to become Suna's first lady. That was an unfeasible idea to be thinking, for both her and Gaara. Hinata had only been in Suna a year, and in that time she was only eighteen. She wasn't ready to be married to someone she began dating six months ago. Also, there was no way she could be first lady of a village that she didn't love. Hinata wished there was some excuse she could give to go home, but just as easily come back.

Hinata took a deep sigh and picked up a small stone. After observing it for no particular reason she tossed it into the oasis. After the water had subsided, she saw Gaara's reflection in the oasis.

"Hi," Hinata said, smiling.

"Hi," responded Gaara, a little sad.

"What's the matter, Gaara?" asked Hinata.

Gaara couldn't look her in the eye. That frightened Hinata. Gaara usually couldn't take his eyes off of anything else.

"Hinata," said Gaara very sadly.

"What?" asked Hinata, very worried.

Gaara took Hinata's hand and looked at her for a while.

"I'm sorry to say this," he began. "But your father died back in Konoha."

Hinata's eyes widened. She had recently found a new love for her father after the war. During the antebellum period, Hinata had thought that her father could never love her or respect her, after the war, her father had a newfound respect and caring attitude toward her. He began to treat her like an adult instead of a burden. Hearing that her father was dead hurt her badly, but it also scared her. She knew what was going to happen, a Hyuga clan civil war.

"How did it happen?" asked Hinata.

"You're father was in a mission. He was assassinated on the return trip."

"A mission!" exclaimed Hinata, "but he's getting old!"

"I don't know the details," said Gaara. "The message that was sent to me was very short."

Hinata took a couple of deep breaths.

"Gaara…" she began.

"Hinata," said Gaara, taking her hands into his. "You have to go back to Konoha to bury your father."

Hinata smiled as much as anyone who just lost their father could smile. "Thank you."

They began walking back into Suna together, when Hinata turned to Gaara.

"Gaara?" asked Hinata.

"Yes?"

"I want you to come with me."

"What?"

"Please Gaara," said Hinata, "I need you to be there with me."

"Hinata," said Gaara tenderly, "you're strong now. You don't always need someone to be there with you."

Hinata shook her head. "Please Gaara, I need you there with me!"

Gaara stopped in his tracks. He looked at her as tears began to roll down her eyes. He couldn't bear to see that.

"Hinata," Gaara said. "Of course I'll go with you, of course."

"Thank you," was all Hinata could force out.

The two of them walked together as the sun began to set behind the desert mountains. The sounds of Suna began to subside, and soon, all they could hear was the sound of their feet, crunching into the sandy roads.

Naruto stood alone, dressed in black, on a lonely hill in Konoha. He looked down sadly onto the pavement and kicked some of the pebbles on the ground.

"Where is she?" he asked himself. Sakura was thirty minutes late from the designated time.

"Hello?" asked a deep voice from behind Naruto. He jumped around quickly to find a masked man, also dressed in black.

"Kakashi sensei!" exclaimed Naruto, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were coming here, so I thought I would take a detour from the long paths of life."

Naruto laughed a little. "Well, looks like you're earlier than Sakura for once."

Kakashi frowned a little. Yes, even the senseis knew about Naruto and Sakura's relationship. It was not secret.

"I wonder what's keeping her," inquired Kakashi.

"I don't know," said Naruto.

They waited fifteen more minutes, when Naruto could see a mass of rosette hair running over to him and Kakashi. A feeling of deep relief calmed down all his nerves.

"Sakura!" called Naruto, "we're over here!"

Sakura ran over to the two of them, and after quick greetings to Kakashi the three of them set off. They ended up at a small grave in the hill. Clearly engraved on the block was, _Sasuke Uchiha-Hero of the Leaf Village_. The three of them bowed their heads in respect. There was no proof that Sasuke's body was in that grave, but a belief that the last Uchiha was missing-in-action would put the village into panic. So, Rock Lee and Sai claimed to have found Sasuke's body in a betrayal fight against Madara Uchiha.

Naruto took Sakura's hand. "I'm glad you could at least make this."

"How could I miss it, Naruto," said Sakura, "he was our teammate, our friend."

There they gazed at what was (or at least, what was assumed to be) once their best friend, the last Uchiha. The winds of change had come and gone. What were once little leaves growing on a mighty tree were now scattered across the world. Change was a scary thing, especially for Naruto and Sakura, but thankfully, the two of them had accepted change and thrived. Sasuke, on the other hand, had not accepted the change, and he was gone.

"Goodbye, Lord Kazekage!" shouted hundreds of Suna citizens as Gaara and Hinata began to leave the village.

"Goodbye Princess!" shouted others to Hinata.

Such statements would make Hinata blush, but she wasn't in the mood for blushing. She knew she had important things to do back home. The trail was a long one, but not necessarily difficult. The desert went on for many miles, and a sense of happiness filled Hinata's heart when she entered the forests of the Fire Country. The danger was not much either. The regions were still in a post-war mood and no one felt like fighting. The nations still had hope to continue on the Ninja Alliance during peacetime, but such proposals received very little support and much criticism (Gaara was one of the main critics of a peacetime alliance, which earned him many enemies internationally). Despite, Gaara's political enemies, the nations were afraid of war, so the trip would be a safe one. Talking between Gaara and Hinata was seldom, mainly because neither of them was in the mood for talking.

When they approached Konoha, a sense of excitement filled Hinata. It had been a year since she had been home, and she wanted to see how much it had changed. The conflicting emotions of sadness, excitement, and inquisitiveness mixed oddly in Hinata. She didn't know what to do first, but then she realized what the most important thing to do was.

A couple of weeks after seeing Sasuke's grave, Naruto and Sakura walked quietly down the streets. As they walked together, they bumped into a large group of people around the gate of the village.

"What's going on?" asked Naruto.

"The Kazekage," said a member of the crowd, "he's visiting."

"Gaara!" exclaimed Naruto happily, "what's he here for?"

"He's here for the funeral of his girlfriend's father."

"His girlfriend!" Sakura almost shouted.

"Really?" said Naruto, louder than Sakura.

The two of them looked out and saw Gaara, but seeing Gaara was not what surprised Naruto and Sakura. What surprised them was Gaara's girlfriend. The sight of Hinata shocked the two of them, who had not expected her. In fact, no one in Konoha who knew her expected to see one of their own as Gaara's girlfriend.

"Isn't she beautiful," said the man they were standing next to. "They call her the Desert Flower back in Suna. Can't say I don't agree."

Naruto and Sakura's mouths were dropped open as they say her walk by.

As Hinata walked by she shot a glance to the two of them. A blank look covered her face. Her soul was conflicted and hurt. They were the last people she wanted to see.

"Look Hinata," said Gaara, "it's Naruto and Sakura! Let's go greet them."

"No," said Hinata, so sternly that Gaara backed away a little bit.

"Why not?" asked Gaara. "They're our friend…right?"

"Sorry Gaara," said Hinata, "I just need to do some other things first."

As the two of them made their way to Hyuga complex, Hinata looked around at her hometown. It was still wonderful, just as she left it. She was happy that nothing had changed much in the year of her absence; she wanted to run to all the old stores she used to go to and eat at the restaurants she wanted to go to. It was her home, her sanctuary.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! Sorry, I know it's been really long. I forgot I was writing this story and found it on my computer. I'm going to continue working on it, but...well college applications so I'm not going to update everyday. If you're still reading, God bless you. (Oct. 23, 2011)

* * *

><p>"Welcome home, Lady Hinata!" said a Hyuga clan member as Hinata entered the complex.<p>

"Hello!" said Hinata happily, "it's wonderful to see you again."

"I will get your sister."

"Please."

Gaara and Hinata sat down together in the grand Hyuga family living room. The carpet was designed in a large yin-and-yang logo with numbers around the large circle.

"You have a beautiful home," said Gaara.

"Thank you," said Hinata softly.

Later, the Hyuga returned with Hanabi Hyuga, Hinata's little sister. She was now a little more grown up than she was, but she was still a young girl. Hinata hated the idea of seeing her have to fight for clan leadership against Neji.

"Hinata!" said an excited Hanabi.

"Hanabi!" responded Hinata, equally excited.

The two embraced in a sisterly hug.

"I came as soon as I heard!" said Hinata.

"Yes," said Hanabi, "it was so sudden, we don't know how it happened. All we know is that father's body was found dead on our doorstep."

"Are you alright, Hanabi," asked Hinata, "I know father wanted Neji to be clan leader."

Hanabi nodded. "I know," she said quietly. Hanabi's pale eyes looked around the room. She wanted to change the subject to Gaara, but first she had to finish the conversational topic.

Dynastical politics were difficult to the thirteen year old. All she wanted to do was focus on being a good ninja, but now her focus was on becoming leader of the Hyuga clan. She didn't ask for this; it was put on her shoulders. She wasn't ready for anything like this. Hanabi was still so young, so innocent to be pushed into this world.

Gaara looked out the window into the forests encircling Konoha. There was something about this village that he loved, not more than his own, but still a certain fondness of this village. There was something he could not put his finger on, yet it was constantly bugging him. He had half a mind to go walk around the streets, but his love for Hinata kept him trapped behind the Hyuga clan walls.

"Hanabi…" said Gaara, quietly. "How did it happen?"

Hanabi blinked her eyes slowly. "Honestly," she began, "I don't know. All I know was that his body was found at the village gates, cut and bleeding."

Hinata took a deep sigh. "He was a great man."

Hanabi nodded. "Yes, he was."

After a few moments of silence, the Hyuga from before reentered the room.

"Ladies Hinata and Hanabi, Lord Kazekage."

"Yes," asked the Kazekage.

"Here is a request from the clan elders," he said, "the three of you must attend the Hyuga family meeting tomorrow at noon."

"Family meeting?" asked Hanabi, "why wasn't I told of this."

"It was a edict so recently declared, my Lady, the clan elders want to choose a new head of the family."

"Now!" exclaimed Hinata, shocked but still shy, "but it's so soon since my father's death."

"I'm sorry, my Lady," replied the Hyuga, "I did was not at the meeting."

"If the elders want a meeting," said Hanabi quietly, "then we'll have a meeting."

The Hyuga was just about to leave, when Hanabi spoke up.

"And make it a point to invite my cousin."

"What was that, my Lady?"

"My cousin," said Hanabi, "Neji."

"Would that be wise?" asked the Hyuga.

"Look," said Hanabi, "as heiress, I can make some decisions on my own, and I want to make sure both sides of this feud are present."

"But My Lady!"

"You heard her," said Gaara, "listen to the girl."

The Hyuga nodded and left the room.

"This feud ends tomorrow," said Hanabi.

"Thank goodness," said Hinata.

"I don't think it's that simple, Dear," said Gaara. "Tomorrow, all hell is going to break loose unless someone stops it."

"What do you mean, Gaara?" asked Hinata.

"Hinata…" said Gaara, "I think you will have to make a speech before the elders."

"What!" exclaimed Hinata, "I can't! I can't!"

"Hinata," whispered Hanabi, "the clan elders are split 50-50 between Neji and me, you have to be the one to break the tie."

"But…"

"Hinata…" said Hanabi, "I want you to exercise your judgment on this issue. I don't care who you choose, whether it is me or Neji, I know you will choose right."

"But I can't Hanabi!" said Hinata, almost sobbing, "I can't."

"…but you will…" said Gaara quietly, "aren't you."

Hinata stared in space. She wanted to cry. How could she, the true heiress of the family choose someone else to become the head, and worse, how could she choose between Neji and Hanabi. This was too much. There were too many emotions conflicting at that moment.

Hinata nodded slowly.

"I will."

Naruto and Sakura walked down the roads together. Sakura wanted to walk quietly and slowly, but Naruto was giddy.

"Can you believe it, Sakura!" exclaimed Naruto, "Hinata and Gaara!"

"Yeah," said Sakura, "unbelievable."

"I mean…it's just so random! I can't remember a time when they said two words to each other!"

"Just right out of the blue…"

"What's up Sakura?" asked Naruto, "you don't seem excited at all."

"Why should I be excited? It doesn't affect us."

"But…" began Naruto in disbelief, "they're our friends."

Sakura shook her head. "I guess…" She put a phony smile on her face. She knew it would fool Naruto. "Yeah!" she said smiling. "They are our friends…"

Naruto smiled back at Sakura. The two of them continued their walk. Every once in a while there were whispers around them from people who knew the truth about Naruto and Sakura's faux relationship.

Darkness fell on Konoha. It wasn't a bad darkness, and despite the evening the streets of Konoha were still bright with city lights. Of course, where Hinata was, she was not given the luxury of lights. She had left Gaara asleep and had wandered into the dark forests to experience them again. She ran through the trees, played with sticks, and picked flowers. It was almost as if she was a little girl again. As she ran barefoot across the meadow, she could almost feel the life sliding across her soles, and that enriched her soul.

The soft moonlight was reflecting off her white skin so well. This was home, this was where her heart was. As she ran across the light roads of the forest with nothing but moonlight guiding her, she couldn't help but remember all the memories that happened in this forest. Whether it was with family, friend, or by her lonesome, the memories rushed through her mind like a river rushes downhill.

She stopped her running and began to walk along the road. Each step casted a shadow from the moonlight upon fallen leaves. As she looked ahead, she saw something in the forest. She was a little frightened, but she was also excited to see what someone was doing in the forest. Anyway, she was a ninja, there was no way some guy was going to take advantage of her.

"Hello?" she whispered.

There was a rustling as the shadow approached her. When she heard no reply, she wanted to run, but suddenly the silence was broken.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto's voice.

"Oh God, no," thought Hinata. "Not now of all times…"

Naruto ran up to her with his trademark smile. "Hinata! Long time no see."

Hinata grinned and nodded politely. Seeing him again was overwhelming to her. He had grown much more handsome in the months she had been gone, if not a little more emaciated, but other than that, Naruto was the picture of health and fitness. As she saw him walk up to her, a part of her wanted to be in his muscular arms forever, and another part wanted to yell cruel things at him. This conflict of emotions, as well as those she had received from news of her father's death, the anticipation of the Hyuga clan elders meeting, and her confusion in her relationship with Gaara, all played together to make her a bundle of nerves, a paper bomb that could go off at any moment.

"Hi Hinata!" laughed Naruto, "I saw you with Gaara today!"

"You saw that!" she said suddenly.

"Yeah! I'm so happy for you guys."

A little part of Hinata's heart broke a little. Happy for her? She was actually hoping he would be jealous. That…she didn't know…some blind fury or something that she had read in romance novels. She looked back into Naruto's blue eyes, but she could hardly see them in the darkness. She laughed to herself quietly. What she was hoping for, that was definitely not Naruto.

"So why are you back, Hinata?" asked Naruto.

"My dad died…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Naruto, "I wish you could come back to happier occasions."

"Yeah…" Hinata started to cry. They were tears for multiple reasons, and this emotional rollercoaster was not helping. Any normal girl would run away, but Naruto…Naruto gave Hinata a bizarre confidence that only Naruto can give.

"You know," said Naruto, "if you don't feel up to talking…"

"No!" Hinata said. She didn't know why. At first she thought that Naruto's presence would bother her, but now, for the first time, she realized she needed it. Sitcoms always joke that men never know what women want, but for Hinata, well, she began to believe that no one, male or female, really knows what they want. It's a bad comparison, but Naruto's personality is like a drug. Once someone experiences the smile, charm, and warmness of Naruto's personality, they can never get enough.

"Oh okay," said Naruto. He gave a weak smile that people give when they don't know what to say. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Now was her chance. She could tell Naruto the truth. She could reveal her feelings for the second time in her life.

"Naruto," said Hinata, taking a step forward. As she took a step, her foot sank into a pile of sand. She looked down at her bare foot in the sand and remembered the past year in Suna. She remembered the village, the people, and more importantly, Gaara. What would a second confession to Naruto accomplish? Naruto was already with Sakura, and she was already with Gaara. All she would do is add more drama, and that is not what Hinata needed right now.

"Yes Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Hinata took a deep breath. No, now was not the time for a confession.

"Naruto," began Hinata, "do you know about Hanabi and Neji?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad you're alright, Hinata, I'm sure your time in Suna helped you rehabilitate."

Not even understanding what Naruto was saying, Hinata just nodded. "Well," said Hinata, "tomorrow, the elders of the Hyuga clan are going to meet and talk about the new leader of our clan."

"Isn't that kinda soon?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," said Hinata, "but that's what's going to happen."

"Oh, okay," said Naruto, "that must be hard for you."

Hinata nodded. "It is, but what's worse is that…well…" Hinata refrained, frightened about revealing too much.

Naruto reached out his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Go ahead, Hinata," said Naruto, "I'm going to be Hokage someday, and I need to know about these problems."

Hinata shook her head. "I-I-I need to make a speech choosing my sister or my cousin. I'm the deciding vote!"

Naruto's jaw dropped. Hinata would make the decision that determined the fate of Konoha's most powerful clan. Even someone as dense as Naruto understood that a Hyuga clan civil war would involve the entire village, and though the peace treaties and post-war pacifist sentiment was still prevalent over the world, no one knew if one of the other villages would take advantage of Konoha in its weakened state.

It didn't really matter who Hinata choose so much as it was how Hinata chose them. She needed to make sure she was fair, clear, and convincing.

"So Naruto," began Hinata, "who do you think I should choose? Should I go with my father's wishes and choose Neji or with tradition and Hanabi?"

Naruto blinked and thought for a moment. "Well," said Naruto, "you're asking a really tough question. Cause, you know what I think about tradition."

Hinata smiled. "Yeah, the villagers were really cruel."

"No, not that," said Naruto, "I love tradition. I don't think we would be Konoha if he didn't have our traditions. If we don't have anything to base ourselves on, then who are we at all?"

"Oh," said Hinata.

"But," continued Naruto, "I think that tradition sometimes prevents us from having good leaders, and that we sometimes give up opportunities for the sake of keeping traditions."

"So who do you think I should choose?"

"Well… Look Hinata, I don't know much about politics or families cause I've never really had any of those things. And I really don't know much about your sister, but I…well…if I were you…I would choose Neji. I know Neji and I think he would make a great leader of a clan."

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, you're right." It was true, Hinata knew she would have to choose Neji all along. Ever since she learned that Neji and Hanabi would be challenging each other for the leadership of the clan, she knew that Neji would win, either peacefully or otherwise.

Hinata looked up at Naruto. "Thank you so much."

Naruto nodded. "I hope you solve this problem peacefully."

"Thank you, thank you."

Naruto smiled at Hinata. "And congrats on the new relationship with Gaara."

Hinata tensed up and nodded. In the distance, the bell of the Konoha clock tower signified that is was midnight.

"Well," said Naruto, "looks like I have to go."

Hinata stared at the love of her life. She wanted to tell him to stay, but how could she. Besides, she had a lot to do tomorrow, and she needed her rest as well.

"Goodbye Naruto, thank you for everything."

"I hope to see you again."

"I've always dreamed you'd say that."

Naruto smiled not understanding and waved goodbye. As he walked away, Hinata watched him. Although he never left her eyes, her thoughts were elsewhere. She had to do a million things at once, and the biggest problem at hand would begin in twelve hours.


	7. Chapter 7

The elders of the Hyuga clan gathered in the large, circular council room. In the center of the room was a large, crescent shaped table with an open center. Within the open center, designed into the carpet was the yin and yang sign surrounded by numbers. There were eleven councilors of the Hyuga clan, three of which were Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji. The other eight were four old main branch men with their wives. The eleven of them took their seats on the outside of the table. Also present, Gaara, Tsunade, Sakura, and Naruto sat at the table as well, not to mention the dozens of ANBU sent to keep the peace. Tsunade took the seat that would have been taken by Lord Hiashi if he had not died.

"Welcome everyone," began Tsunade, "before we begin, allow me to express my condolences for the death of Lord Hiashi."

"We cannot change what has happened," said an old man in the council.

"The binds of destiny has chosen," continued the old man's wife, "and now is the time for the Hyuga's to move on."

"Of course that is true," remarked Tsunade, "but we cannot deny Lord Hiashi's contributions to the village."

"Never mind the past," said an old woman, "we must now decide on a new leader of the Hyuga clan. We must preserve the clan. We must preserve tradition. We must choose Lady Hanabi."

"No," said another old man, "Lord Hiashi decided that his heir will be his brother's son. Lord Neji must be made leader of the clan."

"How dare you say that!" shouted the first old man to speak, "How dare you include the term Lord in front of a cadet branch member. Besides, it does not matter what Hiashi wants, he is bound to the traditions as much as you and me.

"Then perhaps," Tsunade added, "if we wish to stay with tradition, then Lady Hinata should be made leader of the Hyuga clan, her being the true heir of Lord Hiashi."

"No!" said another old man, "Hiashi has already disowned Hinata; she cannot become head of the clan."

"Nonsense," said an old woman, "Hiashi overturned his disownment a long time ago, after Orochimaru's invasion all those years ago."

"It doesn't matter if Hiashi overturned his disownment," said an old man, "Hinata has already signed papers of abdication."

All eyes were on Hinata. "Is this true, Hinata?" asked Tsunade.

Hinata nodded. "Yes," she whimpered, "I renounced my heirdom without renouncing my name."

"Therefore," said the old Hyuga, "Hinata is a main branch Hyuga who cannot become clan leader."

"Then it is between Neji and Hanabi," said Tsunade, "how many in this council can vote?"

"The eight of us elders can vote," said an old woman, "for Neji and Hinata cannot vote."

"But we end up in a tie every time we do vote!" exclaimed another old woman.

"It doesn't matter if it ends with a draw," said an old man, "Hanabi is rightful heiress, therefore she gains precedence."

"But wait," said an old man who supported Neji, "Hinata can vote, can she not?"

"No," said an old woman, "she does not fulfill the requirements."

"Why not," said the old man, "She is a member of the main branch and is Hiashi's daughter."

"But Hiashi disowned her," said an old woman.

"We already stated that he overturned that!" shouted an old woman.

Throughout the conversation, Sakura kept looking at Hinata. Sakura feared that Hinata had revealed the truth to Naruto, but honestly, Sakura was the only one thinking about that at the moment. For everyone else, this problem of Hyuga clan leadership had to be resolved.

"Lady Hokage," asked an old woman, "do you believe Hinata has the right to cast a vote?"

Tsunade thought for a moment. "In all honesty, I do."

"Be careful what you say, my Lady," said an old man, "you risk civil unrest between Konoha and the Hyuga clan."

"I don't fear that at all," said Tsunade, raising her eyebrow.

"What will you do?" laughed an old man, "kill us like the village did to the Uchiha clan?"

Naruto rested his head on his arm. He hated how these old men and women acted like children, digging up ancient history just to make a point. He didn't really want to be there right then. Sakura had been invited as Tsunade's aide, and Naruto was in charge of the security during the meeting, but, besides duty, Naruto did want to see what Hinata would do.

"Well," said Tsunade, "say whatever you like about the Uchihas, but that was not my decision. You realize that my position as Hokage gives _me_ precedence in decision making in conflicts like this. I am only allowing this meeting to convene because precedence dictates that I respect clans to make their own decisions."

An old man laughed, "you will risk making the Hyuga clan angry? You will risk losing the Byakugan now that the Sharingan is extinct and the Rinnegan is uncontrollable?"

Tsunade sighed. The old man was right. No matter how strong the shinobi of Konoha were, the Byakugan was one of the gifts that made Konoha powerful. She could not risk having the Hyuga move to a new village.

"May I suggest something?" asked Gaara.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage?" responded an old woman.

"Why not we have a vote to allow Hinata into the the Hyuga clan council of elders?"

"It will end up in tie," said an old man, "the four traditionalists will vote for and the four restructurists will vote against."

"No, no" said Tsunade, "Neji and Hanabi will be allowed to vote on this matter."

"It's still the same thing," said the old man.

"Is it not worth a try?" asked Gaara.

"Fine," said another old man, "we will put it to vote."

The old man, a Hanabi supporter, stood up. "A motion to vote Hinata Hyuga into the council of elders of the Hyuga clan."

"Second," said Hanabi.

"Then let us vote," continued the old man, "Lady Hokage, will you moderate?"

Tsuande nodded and stood up. "All in favor of making Hinata Hyuga an elder of the Hyuga clan raise your hand."

All four of the Hanabi supporters, Hanabi, and Neji raised their hands, leaving the Neji supporters in disarray.

"All opposed?" asked Tsunade.

The four Neji supporters rose their hands.

"Then it is official," said Tsunade, "Hinata Hyuga is the eleventh member of the Hyuga clan council of elders."

A Neji supporter pulled Neji toward her. "What have you done?" she said, "you have destroyed you chances. Hinata will vote with her sister."

"I trust Hinata," Neji said back, "if she thinks Hanabi will be the better leader, then I trust her."

"Very well, Hinata," asked an old woman who was a Hanabi supporter. "You know how we vote, now, how do you decide?"

"Yes," said an old man who was also a Hanabi supporter, "give us your reasoning to why you believe whoever you want to be leader."

Hinata began to breathe quickly, now was the time everyone was anticipating. It was time for her to make her speech. She stood up and looked around at the people around the table. As she looked around, her eyes met Neji and Hanabi. Both of them trusted her, and both of them knew she could do this. Hinata took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on Gaara.

"Everyone, n-n-now is the time that we must make the difficult decisions that may change the rest of our life."

As she stuttered, the elders began to lose some of their respect. The Hanabi supporters all grinned with delight, and the Neji supporters were all discouraged. Hinata began to lose faith, and her eyes moved away from Gaara.

"We….um…we have to…well…I think that…I mean, it's not …I may be wrong but…"

Hinata's eyes moved around the room. She couldn't do it. All her old habits began to haunt her again. Suddenly, the calming blue eyes of Naruto met hers. As she stared into his whiskered face, Naruto gave a soft smile, then, a bizarre courage filled Hinata. She felt as if she could do anything, in fact, she knew the power she had in the next few words and the responsibilities that were on her shoulders. It didn't matter how heavy the burden was anymore, with Naruto with her, she knew she could lift it.

Hinata continued. It cannot be said that she was completely changed. It was not as if she spoke with a new voice. Her voice was still soft and sweet, but it spoke with a new strength and affirmation.

"At this time, we now see the importance of a new leader, being that our clan is in a weakened position after the deadly war. I think that we have to choose someone who is ready to lead. Someone who has always been ready to lead."

The Hanabi supporters began to squirm in their chairs. Their once sure thoughts were becoming challenged.

"Also, at this time, now that the clan is weakened, we need a leader who can give the Hyugas a new reason to be proud of themselves. We need to appoint the strongest user of the Byakugan and the most talented of the Hyuga clan."

The Hanabi supports began to raise their hands, but the ANBU agents told them this was not the time for questions.

"Now, I understand the importance of tradition in all our lives. We are who we are because of tradition, but we cannot allow tradition to stop us from choosing the best and the brightest."

Naruto's soft smile grew into a large smile as Hinata said those words. All this time Hanabi sat quietly.

"It is then that I must throw my support for Neji to be our next clan leader."

The eyes of the Neji supporters eyes widened and the Hanabi supporters stood up to leave.

"This is not because of any lack of love, but rather because of love. Hanabi is young and is still a genin. She must learn to become a great ninja, but Neji, Neji was the first of his class to become a Jonin, and today serves as one of the most talented of the jonin. Now Hanabi is a wonderful genin, and I know she will become a great ninja, but Neji is here, Neji is ready, and even my father knew this. Therefore, I hope that we all will support Neji as the new leader of our clan."

With that, Hinata sat down. The four Hanabi supporters got up to leave, but they were stopped by the ANBU.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said an old Neji supporter, "Hinata has made her decision, let us vote."

"All in favor of Neji as leader raise your hands," said Tsunade.

The four Neji supporters raised their hands and Hinata joined in.

"All who vote for Hanabi raise your hands."

With that, nobody raised their hands.  
>"All who abstain?"<p>

The four Hanabi supporters raised their hands.

"Then it settles it," said Tsunade, "Neji Hyuga is hereby appointed to be leader of the Hyuga clan. This decision is now formally recognized by the Hokage. Therefore, it will be done."

With that the meeting adjourned and the four Hanabi supporters left the building as quickly as they could. The others conglomerated near the door.

Hinata approached Hanabi. "I'm sorry Hanabi," said Hinata.

"It's okay Hinata," responded Hanabi, "you were just thinking about the clan." Hanabi smiled slightly. "Do you really think I'll become a great ninja?"

Hinata smiled at her little sister, "Of course." The two sisters smiled at each other as Neji approached.

"Lady Hinata, Lady Hanabi," said Neji.

The girls smiled at their cousin. "Yes, Lord Neji?"

Neji smiled. "Thank you Hinata."

"Don't say thank you, Neji," smiled Hinata, "this job isn't a gift, its' a curse."

Neji smiled. "Yes, I will prove myself to the council, I have to."

Neji looked over to Hanabi. "And we'll make sure that this clan succeeds."

The three Hyugas smiled. "Well, goodbye guys," said Neji.

"Yeah, I have to go to," said Hanabi.

The three of them said their goodbyes and Hinata approached Gaara, Naruto, and Sakura.

"Hi guys," said Hinata.

"Hello, my lady," laughed Naruto.

The group laughed and Naruto continued. "This must be the world's most powerful couple, eh Sakura? The Kazekage of Suna and the Elder of the Hyuga clan. Bet those kids will be the strongest in the world."

Gaara laughed and turned his head away from Naruto, but the girls eyes sank to the floor. For the first time since she walked into the council room, Hinata felt bad again. Sakura also didn't look Naruto in the eyes.

"Anyway," said Gaara, "should we go somewhere tonight?"

"Yeah!" said Naruto, "I got an idea! Let's invite everyone for dinner! It'll be just like old times!"

Gaara gave one of his half-smiles. "Yeah, I've wanted to see Lee again. What do you think, Hinata?"

Hinata, realizing that her name had just been called lifted her head up and gave a soft smile, was nodding. "Sure, that would be fun." She really didn't care, but she didn't want to argue just that moment.

"Alright then," said Naruto, "lets meet at Ichiraku at eigth then, okay?"

"Ichiraku?" said Sakura, still looking down, "that place has four seats, we should go somewhere bigger. We are bringing everyone after all."

Naruto laughed. "She has a point. How about we go to that barbecue place where Shikamaru and Choji always go?"

"Sounds good to me," said Gaara, "what about you girls?"

"Yeah," said Hinata.

"Sure," said Sakura.

"Well, it's settled then," said Naruto, "we'll meet there at eight."

The two couples split up. Naruto and Sakura walked together town the road.

"I'm glad everything turned out all right," said Naruto happily.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah," said Sakura half-heartedly.

"You don't seem happy," said Naruto, "I think Hinata's speech just assured peace in the Hyuga clan!"

"Let's hope so," said Sakura quietly.

"Come on, Sakura," said Naruto, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Well, okay," said Naruto, unsatisfied.

On another part of town, Gaara and Hinata walked together along the streets.  
>"You were amazing," said Gaara, "I knew you could do it."<p>

Hinata nodded. "Thank you, Gaara. No one could have helped me as much as you."

For the first time in Hinata's life, she lied right up front someone she cared about. No, there was someone who helped Hinata more than Gaara ever could, in fact, he did. The conflicting thoughts in Hinata's mind clashed and confused her. She knew that she had to choose, but she couldn't, not just yet.


End file.
